Process of manufacturing methyl chlorid and methylene chlorid.



ran strains ormbia.

BURRIT'I S. LACYfOF SEWAREN, NEW JERSEY.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bonnrr'r S. LAcr, a

- citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Sewaren, in the county of Middlesex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Manufacturing Methyl Chlorid and Methylene Chlorid, of which the following is a specification.

In my United States Letters Patent No.

' 1,111,842 issued Sept; 29, 1914, 1 have described a process of manufacturing methyl chlorid by chlorination of methane in the presence of a great excess of the latter constituent; I have now further discovered that by somewhat decreasing the proportion of methane, keeping, however, the methane always present stillin large excess, a greater or less quantity of methylene chlorid, but practically no OHCI or GCl is formed together with the CH Cl. Thus for example while an initial reaction mixture of 20 volumes CH, to one volume Cl results in nearly allof the available chlorin (that is of the of the total chlorin which does not go into HGl) going into the form of GHQCI and less than 10% into GH Cl on the other hand by employing less than'substantially about 10 volumes to. 1, as for instance, an initial mixture of 4 volumes of CH, to 1 volume of C1 about one-half of the available 01 goes into CH CI and nearly as much into CH GI whilethe amounts of the two higher chlorids still remain small, and the reaction mixture still contams a large proportion of methane over and above that required to keep outside of the explosive limits of the gaseous mixture at ordlnary temperature. The employment of a mixture of approximately 4 to 8 volumes of CH to one volume chlorin is not only desirable when it is desired to increase the amount of CH CI obtained, but has the further'advantage that the reaction heat evolved -1S sufficient toheat up the reaction constituents to the necessary temperature, 71. e. to 400-800 Ci. Suitable means should be employed to conserve the heat of reaction in order to' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed September 28 1914. Serial No. 863,985.

in the reaction chamber in order to accelerate the I heating up of the incoming gases as well as the reaction velocity itself.

If finally we use less than about 4 volumes CH, to 1 volume chlorin, although the proportion of CILCI, obtained, as compared with that of CH Cl is increased, yet on account of the higher temperature produced by the heat of reaction when diluting volume of excess CH is thus decreased, a tendency appears, and rapidly increases with further decrease in the proportion of methane, to decomposition of the products with accompanying carbonization; moreover, the

formation of other compounds than the two lower chlorids CH' CI and CH CL, begins I to be noticeable. T have found that, roughly speaking, 1t is advisable to use at least-three volumes of methane to 1 volume of chlorin .evident, advisable for the sake of safety.

I claim:

1. The process of manufacturing methyl chlorid and methylene chlorid consisting in mixing. chlorin gas with an excess of methane in the proportions of one volume of chlorin to more than such proportion of methane as is required to keep outside the explosive limits of the gaseous mixture at ordinary temperature but less than ten volumes of methane, and bringing said mixture to reaction. c 2. The process of manufacturing methyl chlorid and methylene" chlorid consisting in mixing chlorin gas with an excess of methane in" the proportion of one volume of chlorin tofrom substantially about three to less than ten volumes of methane, and bringing said mixture to reaction.

8. The process of manufacturing methyl chlorid and methylene chlorid consisting in mixing chlorin gas with an excess of methane in the proportions of one volume of chlorin to less than ten volumes of methane and reacting said mixture at a temperature of from about 400 C. to 600 C.

4:. The process of manufacturing methyl I volumes of methane, bringing said mixture to reaction and conserving the heat of reaction to maintain the temperature at the necessary reaction point in the absence of application of external heat.

BURRITT s. LACY.

Witnesses:

CATHERINE A. CosTELLo, OTTO K. ZWOINGENBERGER. 

